Listen: Dr Fiona Reynolds' explaining why the media create celebrities out of news subjects and how trauma factors into how a story unfolds
By Laura BennettFriday 19 Feb 2021Hope AfternoonsEntertainmentReading Time: 2 minutes
For the everyday punter the idea of fame is something we get for 15 minutes and then it passes as quickly as it came – it’s onto the next news story or viral video. For others though, their story becomes legend in the media landscape, and they find themselves unable to escape the celebrity profile thrust upon them by news outlets the world over… those accidental celebrities.
Think figures like Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, Bruce and Denise Morcombe or Rosie Batty – they were all ordinary people until their stories became tabloid targets.
Dr Fiona Reynolds has worked as a multi-media journalist for over 30 years, covering some of Australia’s most infamous stories including Stuart Diver’s Thredbo ordeal and the Beaconsfield mine disaster. Her new podcast Accidental Celebrity gives listeners a powerful look into how individuals grapple with the media attention in their rise from anonymity to unenviable fame.
Over six episodes, Dr Reynolds is joined by guests who discuss the human price of relentless media pursuits, and share why they would participate in media coverage well beyond their story breaking.
Listen to Dr Fiona Reynolds’ interview with Laura Bennett in the player above where she explains why the media create celebrities out of news subjects, and how trauma factors into how a story unfolds.
You can listen to Accidental Celebrity wherever you stream or download your podcasts.
The series features rare insights from:
- Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, whose baby daughter Azaria was taken by a dingo in 1980
- James Scott (who was rescued in 1992 after 43 days alone, without food, in the Himalayan mountains)
- Stuart Diver (who was pulled from the rubble of the Thredbo landslide in 1997)
- Bruce and Denise Morcombe (who sacrificed their privacy to appeal for help in the search of the son Daniel)
- Rosie Batty (who became the face of change in the move against domestic violence after an unfathomable tragedy)